Employee conflict is unavoidable in any office environment. Even the most cohesive of teams will run into strife, which can be difficult to manage.
Here are five of my tips I have learned through my experience successfully strengthening relationships between employees.
These tips emphasize the importance of direct communication when it comes to achieving a resolution.
- Know yourself — How do you react to conflict?
If conflict makes you uncomfortable, you may be in the habit of avoiding it or shutting it down. However, as a leader, your job is to manage conflict, so you must face it head on. Take time to recognize/acknowledge your feelings. Find a way to get through the discomfort and address the problem.
- Focus on facts.
Get the factual information about the problem first. Opinions, feelings and objections come later. Summarize and check the accuracy to make sure you have the story straight.
- State what you see.
Employees need you to notice body language, subtle (or not so subtle) reactions and attitudes. Observe and state, “Jane, it looks like you don’t agree.” “I get that everybody is angry.” This opens the door for people to explain what’s going on and sends the message that you notice their cues and care.
- Direct the interaction.
Once you open the door, people will want to share opinions, feelings and probably lots of things not directly related to the issue. Be practical and direct. You have time constraints and the discussion needs to be purposeful. State this: “Look, I see there is a lot here, but we really need to get back. Here’s what I think we can do….”
Thank people for their participation, but don’t let them dominate: “Great point, Jane, but I have to stop you there. I want to hear from everyone. I think Joe has something.”
- Know the end game — solution? Maybe, but don’t jump.
You want to wrap things up and get back to work, but don’t jump to a solution. It may not be clear-cut at this point and you don’t want to throw something in place that won’t work long-term. Maybe discussion has to be tabled and you’ll consider all and come back with a solution, or maybe you want to suggest a trial period for the solution: “Looks like X would work — let’s try it for two weeks and evaluate.”
Laura MacLeod created From The Inside Out Project® with all levels of employment in mind to assist in maintaining a harmonious workplace. Laura teaches conflict resolution, problem solving and listening skills using an innovative method that addresses the human interactive challenges. She is also adjunct professor in graduate studies at the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work.
